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When Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast in 2005, evacuation buses and shelters turned animals away, and thousands of families faced an impossible choice: leave their pets behind or stay. Many stayed. In a poll taken after the storm, nearly half of the people who didn’t evacuate said a pet was part of the reason.
A lot has changed since then, but one thing hasn’t: the families who cope best with hurricanes, wildfires, floods and other emergencies are the ones who planned for their animals before the warning came. This pet disaster preparedness guide walks you through building a pet emergency plan and kit, step by step.
Quick Answer: How Do You Prepare a Pet for an Emergency?
Short answer: Prepare your pet for an emergency by making sure they can be identified, planning where you’ll go with them if you evacuate, packing an emergency kit with at least three days of supplies, keeping copies of medical records, and practicing so your pet is calm in a carrier or car. Never plan to leave pets behind: if it isn’t safe for you, it isn’t safe for them.
- Identify: microchip plus a collar tag, with up-to-date contact details.
- Plan: know a pet-friendly place to go, because many shelters and hotels don’t accept pets.
- Pack: food, water, medications, records, a carrier and a leash.
- Practice: carrier training and a family evacuation drill.
- Stay informed: sign up for local emergency alerts and act early.
Why Pets Need Their Own Emergency Plan
Katrina became a turning point. Animal welfare groups estimate that tens of thousands of pets were left behind in the flooded Gulf Coast, and some owners lost their lives because they would not leave their animals. A year later, Congress passed the Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act, known as the PETS Act. According to LSU’s School of Veterinary Medicine, the law lets FEMA fund pet-friendly emergency shelters and reimburse state and local governments for rescuing and sheltering animals.
That’s real progress, but it doesn’t replace your own plan. Emergency managers still warn that leaving pets out of evacuation plans endangers pets, owners and first responders alike. Pets left behind are likely to be injured, lost or killed, and owners who go back for them put themselves at risk.
Step 1: Make Sure Your Pet Can Be Identified
Disasters separate families. Doors blow open, fences fall, and frightened animals bolt. Identification is what gets them home.
Microchip your pet and register the chip. In a study of more than 7,700 stray animals entering U.S. shelters, microchipped dogs were returned to their owners 52.2% of the time, compared with 21.9% for dogs without chips. The same research found that when chipped animals didn’t make it home, the usual reason was missing or outdated owner information in the registry.
- Check that your pet’s microchip is registered and that your phone number and address are current.
- Add an out-of-area emergency contact, such as a relative in another state, in case local phone lines are down.
- Keep a collar with a securely fastened, legible ID tag on your pet at all times.
- Take current photos of your pet, ideally with you in the frame, to prove ownership and help with lost-pet searches. Store them on your phone and in the cloud.
Put a rescue alert sticker on your door or window. The ASPCA recommends these stickers so rescue workers know animals are inside. Place it on or near your front door and list the number and types of pets and your veterinarian’s name and phone number. If you evacuate with your pets and have time, write “EVACUATED” across the sticker so rescuers don’t waste time searching your home, a tip the American Red Cross also shares. The ASPCA offers a free sticker through its website (delivery can take several weeks), or you can buy pet rescue alert stickers right away.
Step 2: Plan Where You’ll Go
The single most important part of your plan is a destination. Ready.gov warns that many public shelters and hotels still don’t allow pets inside, so you need to know where you can take your animals before an emergency happens.
- Friends or family outside your area who will take you and your pets.
- Pet-friendly hotels along your evacuation route and outside your immediate area. Make a list now, with phone numbers, and ask about weight and breed limits and whether no-pet policies can be waived in an emergency.
- Your county’s pet-friendly shelters. Many counties now open them during hurricanes and wildfires, but they often require pre-registration, carriers and vaccination records.
- Boarding kennels and veterinary clinics outside the danger zone. Your veterinarian can give you a list of boarding facilities they trust.
- Your local animal shelter, which may offer emergency boarding or foster care during disasters.
About Red Cross shelters: the American Red Cross says its shelter teams try to accommodate household pets, but depending on the situation, pets may have to stay in a separate location run with animal welfare groups. Service animals are always welcome. If you have more than one pet, be ready to house them separately too.
Set up a pet buddy. Arrange for a trusted neighbor to evacuate your pets if a disaster strikes while you’re at work or away. Give them a key, your kit’s location and written permission to act for you.
Choose a long-term caregiver too. The ASPCA recommends naming two kinds of caregivers: a nearby temporary one, ideally someone home during the day with access to your house, and a permanent one who would take your pet if something happened to you. For the permanent role, choose someone who knows your pet and has cared for animals before, and talk through your expectations in detail.
Leave early. Evacuating with animals takes longer, and some evacuation options fill up or stop accepting pets as a storm approaches. If authorities advise leaving, don’t wait for a mandatory order.
Step 3: Build Two Emergency Kits
Emergency planners often recommend two pet kits: a larger one for sheltering at home and a lighter grab-and-go bag for evacuation. Three days of supplies is the bare minimum, but plan for the worst case. The ASPCA points out that even if you expect to be gone a day, you may not be allowed home for weeks, and suggests packing 7 to 10 days of food, at least seven days of bottled water and a two-week supply of any medication. Store the go-bag and leashes near an exit, label it clearly, and make sure everyone in the family knows where it is.
| Category | What to pack |
|---|---|
| Food and water | At least three days of food in airtight containers, bottled water, collapsible bowls, a manual can opener if your pet eats canned food |
| Medications | Current medications and preventives, with dosing instructions |
| Records | Vaccination records, microchip number, vet contact, recent photos of you with your pet, in a waterproof pouch |
| Care notes | Feeding schedule, medical conditions, behavior quirks and your vet’s number, in case a shelter, kennel or friend has to care for your pet |
| Containment | A sturdy carrier or crate for each pet, labeled with the pet’s name and your contact information; leash, harness and spare collar |
| Sanitation | Poop bags, litter and a disposable litter tray, paper towels, cleaning supplies |
| First aid | A pet first aid kit, an animal poison control number and a pet first aid app on your phone, such as the American Red Cross Pet First Aid app |
| Comfort | A familiar blanket, bed, toy or treats to lower stress |
Review your kits every few months and swap out food, water and medications before they expire. For a detailed, item-by-item list, see our guide to building a pet emergency survival kit.
Useful gear to have ready:
- For dogs and cats:
- Pre-packed 72-hour pet emergency go-bags, a fast starting point you can add your pet’s food and medications to
- GPS pet trackers, which can help you locate a pet that bolts (check that the tracker works in your area and has a battery life you can manage)
- Dog life jackets for flood-prone areas
- Pet first aid kits and collapsible travel bowls
- Sturdy pet carriers and collapsible crates
- For horses:
- Breakaway halters and a spare lead rope for each horse
- Halter ID tags engraved with your phone number
- Equine first aid kits
- Collapsible water buckets and hay nets for the trailer
- For the whole household:
- Portable power stations to run fans, lights or a small refrigerator for temperature-sensitive medications during outages
- Hand-crank NOAA weather radios so you can follow warnings without power or cell service
- Waterproof document pouches for records and photos
Step 4: Keep Health Records and Medications Ready
Pet-friendly shelters, boarding kennels and hotels may ask for proof of vaccination, especially rabies. If your pet takes daily medication, a missed dose during an evacuation can turn into a second emergency. Ask your veterinarian whether you can keep a small extra supply on hand, keep copies of prescriptions, and store digital copies of all records in your email or cloud storage so you can reach them from any phone. For insulin and other refrigerated medications, plus power and water outages, see our guide to keeping pets safe when the power, water or medications run out.
Step 5: Practice Before You Need To
A pet who has never been in a carrier won’t walk calmly into one while sirens are going off. Practice turns a chaotic scramble into a routine.
- Carrier and crate training: leave carriers out with treats and bedding inside so they become a safe place, not a threat.
- Car rides: take short, positive trips so your pet is used to the car.
- Family drills: time how long it takes to load everyone, kits included. Our guide to running a pet disaster preparedness drill shows you how.
- Know the hiding spots: frightened cats and small dogs hide. Learn where yours go so you can find them fast.
For stressful moments: evacuations, storms and unfamiliar places are hard on anxious pets. Some owners ask their veterinarian about calming support for these situations; Pet Wellbeing’s situational stress range includes Stress Gold, an herbal liquid for occasional high-stress events such as travel and loud noises. Try any calming product before an emergency, never for the first time during one, and check with your veterinarian first, especially if your pet takes other medication. Read more in our guide to dog anxiety signs and triggers.
Step 6: Stay Informed and Act Early
Sign up for your county’s emergency alerts and follow your local emergency management office. Keep contact details for your local animal control office and animal shelters with your kit, so you know whom to call if you and your pet are separated.
If You Have to Shelter in Place
- Bring pets indoors at the first sign or warning of a storm. Animals can become disoriented and wander off in a crisis.
- Pick your safe room in advance: an interior room away from windows and flying debris. The ASPCA suggests easy-to-clean spaces such as bathrooms and utility rooms.
- If you might lose power, fill bathtubs and sinks with water ahead of time so you have a supply for your pets.
- In a flood, move to the highest level of your home, ideally a room with counters or high shelves where animals can get above the water.
- Keep carriers and leashes within reach, keep pets away from floodwater and downed power lines, and keep them leashed or crated after the storm passes, when fences and familiar landmarks may be gone.
Helping Your Pet Recover After a Disaster
- Expect behavior changes. The American Red Cross notes that pets can become defensive or even aggressive after a disaster. Give them quiet time and keep them away from unfamiliar people and animals at first.
- Keep them under direct control. Damaged fences and gates make escapes easy, and storms can wash away the scents pets use to find their way home.
- Check the ground at nose and paw level. Debris, spilled chemicals, fertilizers and contaminated water can harm pets even when they look harmless to you.
- Call your veterinarian if your pet is injured, stops eating, or shows behavior changes that don’t fade within a few days.
Planning for Birds, Reptiles and Small Pets
- Birds: travel in a secure cage or carrier kept in a quiet spot. Cover the cage in cold weather, and in hot weather mist feathers lightly with a spray bottle. Keep leg bands on and recent photos handy for identification, as the ASPCA advises.
- Reptiles: plan secure permanent housing at your destination, pack a bowl large enough for soaking, and bring a heat source such as a heating pad or hot water bottle.
- Hamsters, gerbils, guinea pigs and other small pets: use secure carriers with bedding, food, bowls or water bottles, a hide box and about a week of bedding.
Disaster Preparedness for Horses
Horses can’t ride in the back seat, so evacuating them takes more planning, more time and often more help. The American Red Cross urges owners to consider a precautionary evacuation of large animals, because waiting until the last minute can be deadly for them and dangerous for you. Washington State University Extension’s livestock advisors also recommend a separate emergency kit for the barn and a smaller one for the trailer, with feed and water for 5 to 7 days, and two weeks if possible.
- Practice loading now. The ASPCA advises getting horses comfortable wearing a halter and loading into a trailer, and practicing quick loading the way schools run fire drills.
- Line up transport. If you don’t own a trailer, or have more horses than it holds, arrange rides in advance. Set up a phone tree with nearby horse owners and farms to share trailers, pasture and extra hands.
- Keep the trailer road-ready. Inspect it regularly, check tire pressure, and make sure your towing vehicle is rated for the trailer and horse.
- Identify every horse. WSU Extension lists permanent options such as brands, tattoos and microchips. Add an ID tag to the halter, and keep current photos showing any distinctive markings so you can prove ownership.
- Keep records within reach. Store veterinary records where you can grab them fast, and post emergency numbers in the barn, including your 24-hour equine vet.
- If you truly can’t evacuate, emergency planners in Washington suggest letting haltered horses move freely in a securely fenced area, not barbed wire, away from buildings and flying debris, rather than shutting them in a barn that could collapse or burn.
- After a flood, remove wet hay from the barn as soon as possible. The Washington State Department of Agriculture warns that wet hay can spontaneously combust.
- Don’t forget the dogs and cats in the rush to move livestock, and never leave a dog chained or tied outdoors when you evacuate.
Your Pet Emergency Checklist
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| Today | Check microchip registration, update ID tags, take photos, choose a pet-friendly destination, set up a pet buddy |
| This month | Build both kits, copy records, start carrier training, run a practice drill |
| When a warning is issued | Bring pets inside, check kits, fuel the car, confirm your destination, leave early |
| After the emergency | Keep pets leashed, check for injuries, watch for stress or behavior changes, restock your kits |
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I bring my pet to an emergency shelter?
It depends on the shelter. Many public shelters still don’t accept pets, though more communities now open pet-friendly shelters during major disasters. Check your county’s emergency management website before an emergency, and plan a backup such as family, friends or a pet-friendly hotel.
How much food and water should be in a pet emergency kit?
Pack at least three days of food and water for each pet, and consider more if you live in a hurricane or wildfire area. Rotate supplies before they expire.
Does a microchip really help in a disaster?
Yes. In a study of stray animals entering U.S. shelters, microchipped dogs were returned to their owners 52.2% of the time, compared with 21.9% of dogs without chips. A chip only helps if its registration has your current contact information.
What if a disaster happens while I’m away from home?
Arrange a pet buddy, such as a trusted neighbor, who has a key, knows where your kit is and has written permission to evacuate your pets for you.
Should I leave my pet behind if I have to evacuate?
No. If it isn’t safe for you to stay, it isn’t safe for your pet. Pets left behind are at high risk of injury, getting lost or dying. Plan ahead so you can take them with you.
What should I do if I get separated from my pet?
Contact your local animal control office and animal shelters right away, check in person if you can, share your pet’s photos and microchip number, and make sure your microchip registration is up to date.
The Bottom Line
Emergencies give little warning, but preparing your pet takes only an afternoon: register the microchip, choose a destination, pack the kits, copy the records and practice once. Do it now, while the sky is clear, and you’ll never have to choose between your safety and your pet’s.
References and Further Reading
- Ready.gov: Prepare Your Pets for Disasters
- ASPCA: Disaster Preparedness
- American Red Cross: Pet Disaster Preparedness and Recovery
- Washington State University Extension: Emergency Preparedness for Livestock and Companion Animals
- Washington State Department of Agriculture: Severe Storms and Floods
- AVMA: Pet Owners, Shelters, and Clinics: Check the Chip
- LSU School of Veterinary Medicine: Hurricane Katrina and the PETS Act
- KUOW/NPR: A Lesson Learned After Pets Were Left Behind in Hurricane Katrina
- LMU Emergency Management: Pet Preparedness
This article is for educational purposes. Follow instructions from your local emergency officials, and talk to your veterinarian about your pet’s specific needs.